Project encourages girls into engineering

Project encourages girls into engineering

11th July 2017

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STUDENTS have been rewarded for sitting down on the job in a project designed to encourage girls into engineering.

Year 9 girls from Richmond School and Sixth Form College designed and constructed a seat from rolled up newspaper and, where the opposition wobbled and collapsed, theirs stood firm.

Five schools took part in the engineering workshop at RAF Leeming, organised by Richmond Soroptimists and designed to showcase the opportunities available to girls in STEM subjects and engineering.

Marking International Women in Engineering Day, students were challenged to design and build a chair from newspaper which had to be able to take the weight of a person.

The Richmond School and Sixth Form College team comprised Aigail Jones, Alice Arundell, Shannon Foster, Ellie Lund, Caitlin Miller, Zenith Subba and Kate Biggins.

Manager of careers and employability Liz Mannion said girls were selected who had chosen to study engineering or resistant materials.

“They worked incredibly well together and their design was ingenious,” she said. “They rolled the paper so tightly that it felt as rigid as wooden dowling. They also opted for a low, squat design that was simple but effective and had strengthening rods between the legs. It held up really well to the strength test.

“Richmond School and Sixth Form College is massively committed to STEM subjects and careers and it was fantastic to see our girls do so well. They were inspired by the event and the RAF’s chief engineer who attended.”

Mrs Mannion is also helping Richmond Soroptimists plan an October STEM conference at RAF Leeming which the school’s students will attend.

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